


I'd Do It Again

by startrekkingaroundasgard



Series: Bruce Banner Bingo [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Happy Ending, Human Experimentation, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Queerplatonic Relationships, Rescue Missions, Self-Sacrifice, winterhulk - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24306121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrekkingaroundasgard/pseuds/startrekkingaroundasgard
Summary: After he is kidnapped, Bucky rescues Bruce from a facility which is trying to separate him from the Hulk.
Relationships: Bruce Banner/James "Bucky" Barnes
Series: Bruce Banner Bingo [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1776064
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41





	I'd Do It Again

"Bruce!"

The bright lights seared his retina, four burning balls of pure white which had been his only constant companion these past days. Bruce was vaguely aware of them dimming, more by the reduced heat on his skin than anything else, but the effort of his rescuer made little difference; the world was still little more than a series of blurred shapes and colours. 

However, he didn't need to see to know who that gruff voice belonged to. There was only one man whose low tone brought him such immediate relief, the soft words like a cool bandage to his burning flesh. A voice with which Bruce instantly and completely associated with home. James.

Callused hands, capable of inflicting such damage, were so gentle as they pulled him free from the experimental workspace. Each tube and electrode pinched his skin as James plucked them free like tiny bee stings, only where the stinger was coated in a toxic chemical that burned through his nerves like acid. 

"Almost done. You're gonna be alright. Hang in there for me." 

Bruce's eyes drifted shut, the effort to keep them open too much - especially when he was only greeted by a blurry world. He laid back as James worked with military efficiency and imparted a gentle bedside manner only ever reserved for him. His fingers danced lightly across Bruce's skin, pressed cautiously on the bright collection of bruises that littered his body as he tested for any potentially fatal injuries. 

Thankfully his inspection found nothing that wouldn't heal, given time and rest. At least that was what he said. Bruce couldn't call to mind the last time that James had lied to him - a cornerstone of their relationship was to always be truthful, no matter how much it hurt, because the alternative was so much worse - but something in the quiver of his voice, and the ever persistent throbbing in his abdomen, left Bruce concerned. 

"Where are we?" Bruce croaked. He head lolled forward, long shaggy hair falling across his face. The barrier was a blessing, the shadows an unexpected gift compared to the torturously bright lab lights from before. Focused solely on the scuffs on James' boots, he willed the world to solidify. 

"In the middle of the Andes."

"Remote. Smart."

"Don't compliment the bastards that locked you up and experimented on you, Bruce." James helped him to his feet, bearing the entire weight of his body on the vibranium arm. The metal fingers dug gently into his waist, mercifully avoiding the sloppily sewn gash that ran from his armpit all the way down to his hip bone. 

Bruce stumbled through the lab, his nonexistent sense of balance, combined with incredibly poor vision, caused him to crash into a large trolley. A chill crept down his spine. He knew the sound of that broken wheel, the sharp squeak as the uneven surface scratched the floor. It only meant pain. 

Phantom figures cut at his arm, sliced open his leg and brought him to the ground. James lifted him up and guided Bruce more forcefully than before, careful to avoid bashing into anything else. "What exactly did they do to you?"

"Drained blood samples, ran tests on the cells - secondary stage tests performed on living tissue in situ." It was easier, Bruce found, to describe the science. The procedures were basic, biological tests, cold and impartial and easier to process as set stages of an experiment rather than focusing on how the invasive measures had been performed on him. If he approached it academically, it was easier to pretend that the pain wasn't real. "Multiple attempts to separate Hulk from subject. Uh - from me."

Despite his best efforts, James failed to hide the storm that raged in his eyes, a wildfire of pain and anger that threatened to burst out and burn down the entire base. There just wasn't time to entertain that fury, though. Escape was the priority. All else could be dealt with at a later time. 

Too level, a desperate show of control to calm his partner, James asked quietly, "Did it work?" 

"I don't know." 

The scientists had achieved something but what Bruce couldn't say. In situations like this, Hulk would normally be shouting, pounding against his skull to be released. There was nothing, though. Just a deadly silence, eerie and empty. If Hulk was still there, his connection with Bruce had been severed. 

Bruce tried to draw Hulk back from the shadows. He drew on all the pent up anger and rage, the sorrow and despair that had built over the past weeks in this awful place. It built slowly like a tide creeping up the shore until every inch of his body was buzzing. And then… nothing. It simply ebbed away, back into the ocean, leaving Bruce cold and shivering in James' arms. "I think we're alone here."

"We should get out before that changes. The Quinjet is nearby. Do you think you can walk or do I need to carry you?"

Regardless of the horrors that Bruce had suffered here, he couldn't help the light smile that crossed his face. He would like to see James try and throw him over his shoulder. Shifting his weight off of his partner, Bruce took a deep breath and nodded. Each step was like death itself - he'd almost rather face a thousand consecutive beatings from Thanos - but for his struggle he was a few seconds closer to freedom, to returning home with James. 

A series of unrepeatable curses fell from his partner's lips as they rounded the corner to find the access door to the landing pad was closed. James pressed his forehead against Bruce's, a moment of blissful peace, then sprinted across the room to work on getting them out. So tired, his body heavier than lead now, Bruce leaned against a nearby wall, eyes drifting shut. 

He should have known better than to ignore his senses. 

Moments later, armed bastards flooded the control room. They surrounded Bruce and pressed a highly charged laser rifle against the back of his skull. The cool barrel of the gun was a familiar pressure on his already broken skin and shocked him from his mental lull. Everything sharpened around him, especially… 

"Don't touch him!" Bruce yelled, channelling a hatred so deep that he had never imagined himself capable of possessing. "Get your hands off of him! James!" 

"A valiant attempt at escape, Doctor Banner," the lead scientist praised, as if congratulating a child for its stick figure family portrait. "Deal with him, will you?"

His men threw James against the wall - it took three of them to contend with the soldier's strength - and subdued him with a strange handcuff. They glowed pink as it clicked around his metal wrist, locking James to the wall. Naturally, he attempted to claw his way free from the device but the shining metal shackle burned his flesh fingers.

James was smart enough not to try again but didn't give up trying. Bruce watched the plates in his metal arm begin to click in and out of place, working themselves free from the shackle. It was painful work, if the sweat on James' brow was anything to go by, but given enough time it would be enough. However, time was not a luxury they possessed. 

"Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to leave quite yet. Our research has barely begun and the men funding our operation will not take kindly to your premature departure. Now, how would you rather we killed your boyfriend, hmm? A shot to the heart or the head?"

His mind reeled. A quick calculation proved what Bruce had already worked out. James needed another thirty seconds to free himself from the shackle. The lackey with the gun was too far away to reach in one leap and would get a shot off before Bruce had the chance to stop him. There was only one option, one way to keep James alive. 

He met his partner's eyes and smiled sadly. They never could say goodbye. 

Bruce leapt in the path of the rifle, prepared to shield James with his life. A sharp piercing pain shot up his side and then there was nothing. 

***

When he came around, Bruce found himself in the Quinjet. James was beside him, head rested awkwardly on the edge of the medibed, breathing softly. He wasn't asleep, more drifting between the lines of conscious reality and a distant world where they'd lived completely different lives and never faced this kind of suffering. 

Immediately sensing the change, James sat up and rubbed his eyes. He blinked a few times, making definite sure that this was reality and not another fanciful dream. He pulled Bruce into a tight embrace and held him for a long time, neither mentioning the tears that trickled down their cheeks. 

"What happened?" Bruce asked, throat dry. 

"You were an idiot."

"Hulk?"

James nodded, pulling a bottle of water from beneath the bed. "You turned just in time. He smashed the place to pieces. Guess he didn't enjoy being poked and prodded all that time." He grew serious. "Did you know that he'd save you?"

Carefully avoiding the question, Bruce answered, "I'd give my life for you, James. I've never had a doubt about that."

"Well, next time, don't. Okay?" He drew Bruce back into another hug, clinging on to him, the slight tremble in his fingers an indication of just how scared he had been. "If I need a shield, I steal Sam's. The world already has enough heroes."

"I didn't do it for the world," Bruce said, burying his face in the crook of his partner's neck. "I did it for you. I'd do it again, too."


End file.
